


hairclips

by gingerslapNotion



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, free? in MY 2020? its more likely than you th, just pure sibling fluff, not compliant with anything past Eternal Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:56:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25892467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerslapNotion/pseuds/gingerslapNotion
Summary: The first time Rin wears Gou's hairclips, he's twelve and she's eleven, and she asks if she can play with him and Sousuke. When Rin finally agrees (reluctantly and with much prodding from Sousuke), her eyes light up and she runs to her room, returning with a metal Hello Kitty lunchbox decorated with stickers of little blue fish. She carefully opens the latches to reveal her small collection of hair accessories. Rin gets a sinking feeling in his stomach.
Relationships: Matsuoka Gou & Matsuoka Rin
Kudos: 19





	hairclips

**Author's Note:**

> (working title: yes)  
> i wrote this like four years ago and havent touched it since. i guess i wasnt happy with it then but i just reread it and it slaps actually? so here ya go enjoy

The first time Rin wears Gou's hairclips, he's twelve and she's eleven, and she asks if she can play with him and Sousuke. When Rin finally agrees (reluctantly and with much prodding from Sousuke), her eyes light up and she runs to her room, returning with a metal Hello Kitty lunchbox decorated with stickers of little blue fish. She carefully opens the latches to reveal her small collection of hair accessories. Rin gets a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Gou selects a clip made of cheap pink plastic in the shape of a heart.

"Hold still, onii-chan!" she says happily, pushing his bangs to the top of his head and securing them there. Sousuke watches, fighting hard to hold back laughter. Gou adds another one next to the first, this one purple and shaped like a butterfly. Then she pulls a mirror from out of the box and holds it up to Rin's face. Sousuke finally can't take it anymore and begins to laugh loudly, pointing at his friend. Rin grimaces at his reflection in the mirror.

"I look ridiculous!" he yells, ripping the clips from his hair and throwing them back at the box. Eyes welling with tears, Gou picks up the clips, puts them back in the box and closes it, then runs back to her room. Sousuke stops laughing and looks at Rin, who is frowning at the ground, arms crossed.

"That wasn't very nice -"

"I don't care." Rin cuts him off, as he stands up and stomps away. "I don't want anyone to ever see me looking like that again!"

* * *

The second time rin wears Gou's hairclips, it's years later, and Rin is having trouble concentrating on his English homework because of those two damn locks of hair hanging down in his face. They're not long enough to tie in a ponytail and so they just hang there, no matter how many times he brushes them away, and every time they fall back into his line of vision he becomes more irritated. Finally he becomes fed up, slamming his fists down on his desk, which causes something to fall to the ground. Rin sighs and leans out of his chair to pick it up, but when he notices what it is he hesitates - it’s a red flower hairclip.

_ Gou must have forgotten it here when she visited last week, _ he thinks, examining it. The clip isn’t one of those cheap plastic ones made for little kids - it’s curved and metal and snaps into place. The flower is made of a folded piece of ribbon, with a small yellow button glued in the center.

Rin makes a cursory glance around the room before carefully brushing his bangs to one side and securing them with the clip. He pulls his hands away, expecting (almost hoping for) the clip to fall, but nothing happens. Rin sighs, picks up his pencil, and continues his work.  _ At least now I can focus. _

An hour later, Rin hears Nitori’s keys in the lock. He quickly rips the clip off, pulling some hair with it. He yelps with pain just as his roommate enters, holding a bag of groceries.

“Matsuoka-senpai, are you okay?” Nitori asks with just a little too much concern in his voice. Rin clenches his fist around the clip, the other hand holding his still-tender scalp.

“It’s nothing,” Rin mutters between clenched teeth. As Nitori moves to put things away, Rin opens his hand to reveal the clip. After a few moments of consideration, he opens the top drawer of his desk and drops the clip in.

“What did you do today, Matsuoka-senpai?” Nitori asks, putting a box of cookies into a drawer. Rin sighed.

“Nothing much, just homework.”

* * *

The third time is a week later. Rin is sitting down to work out a new personal training regimen, and notices the hairclip still sitting in his drawer while looking for his headphones. He draws it out slowly, noticing for the first time how vibrant the red color is.

_ She probably chose it because it matches her hair _ , he thinks. Which means it matches his own. He wonders if she’s been looking for it. Wonders how she’s been, what she’s doing right now. If she misses him.

He clips back his bangs, puts on his headphones, and gets to work.

After what feels like no time at all, Rin is broken from his concentration by a tap on his shoulder, startling him and causing him to shout. He fumbles to turn off his music and turns in his chair to see Nitori, looking apologetic and sheepish.

“I guess you didn’t hear me come in, then. Sorry,”

“Shit, Nitori, don’t scare me like that,” Rin breathes, taking his headphones off and hanging them around his neck. “You should’ve texted me that you’d be back early.”

“It must’ve slipped my mind! I really am sorry,” Nitori says as he starts unpacking his bag. “Hey, senpai,”

“Hm?”

“What’s that in your hair?”

Rin’s face turns as red as the flower on the clip. He moves his hand to his head to cover it up, but before he can explain it away, Nitori speaks up again.

“I like it! Is it your sister’s?”

“Y-yeah,” Rin stammers, removing his hand, refusing to make eye contact. “I was just using it to keep my bangs out of my face.”

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed. I think it’s sweet that you’re wearing something of hers! And it really does look good on you,” Nitori is sporting a soft pink blush of his own now.

“Thanks, I guess.” Rin says, unclipping the accessory and placing it on his desk. He smiles. “Yeah. Thanks.”

* * *

After that, Rin becomes far less reserved about wearing the clip around others. He doesn’t wear it out of his room on purpose, but sometimes he’ll forget to take it off when he’s rushing to class or practice. Occasionally other boys will snicker at him, but Rin finds that one good glare will usually shut them up.

He does make sure never to go into the pool with it on, in case it rusts or loses its color. When he changes he clips it onto the collar of his shirt, so that he doesn’t forget it in the locker. One time the captain sees it in the locker room and begs Rin to let him have it, and it takes everything Rin has to just say “no” instead of “fuck no” (a year later Momo asks Rin the same thing, but by that time Rin himself is the captain and can say “fuck no” all he wants).

Every once in awhile when Gou visits his dorm she’ll leave another clip behind, and Rin’s collection will grow. He even begins wearing them as a conscious fashion choice from time to time. Nitori is right, they do look pretty good on him, if he does say so himself. He puts one on one day when he goes out to visit the Iwatobi boys. Any nervousness he had about it melts away when Nagisa exclaims that it looks “super amazing” and Rei concurs, adding how amazed he is that Rin has achieved a new level of beauty with a simple accessory. Even Haruka gives Rin a small smile and says that it’s nice. Later Rin pulls Makoto aside and asks him to make sure the others don’t tell Gou about it.

“Of course. I think it would make her very happy though,” Makoto says.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Rin brushes him off.

_ Why don’t I want her to know about it? _ He asks himself. He tells himself it’s because he doesn’t want her to bring up that past embarrassment, but deep down he knows his sister isn’t one to be smug.

Sousuke is, however, and when his old friend comes to Samezuka, Rin receives an obnoxious “I told you so” from him.

“Shut up,” Rin tells him, kicking him playfully in the leg, “And don’t tell Gou about it.”

“Why not?” Sousuke asks.

“Because. I don’t know.”

* * *

“Do you want to hang out this weekend sometime?” Gou asks him over Skype.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Saturday at noon, train station?”

“Sounds good. See ya.”

“Love you!” She hangs up.

Rin looks at the hairclip sitting next to his computer, a purple polka-dot barrette. He made sure to take it off when he saw her calling.

_ What are you so afraid of? _ He clenches his fist.

_ Judgement? _ No. 

_ Embarrassment? _ No. 

_ Love? _

On Saturday he makes sure to put on the red flower clip when he gets ready.

“You’re going to see Gou?” Sousuke asks him.

“Yeah.” Rin notices Sousuke’s eyes dart to the hairclip and back.

“Have a good time,” Sousuke says, patting Rin’s shoulder. “Say hi to her for me.”

“Will do.” Rin says without looking back as he walks out the door.

* * *

Rin sways nervously as he waits for his sister to show up at the train station. A couple of times he considers taking the clip off and shoving it in his pocket, but each time he stops himself. Eventually he sees Gou walking up the steps to the platform. His heart is pounding in his chest.

“Hi, nii-chan!” She shouts, waving to him. He waves back. “How have you been? How’s swim club?” She asks when she gets closer.

“Fine. It’s fine.” Rin isn’t sure if he’s answering her question or reassuring himself.

“Really? We’re all super nervous getting ready for-” She stops. “Rin… Is that my hairclip?”

“Yeah.” He answers, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

“I’ve been wondering where that went.” She said, continuing her approach.

“You left it in my dorm a while ago and I kind of… started wearing it.”

“I like it!” She smiles at him. “You know, I’ve noticed a lot of my hairclips have gone missing. I guess I know where they went now.”

“Yeah.” He says sheepishly. “Do you want them back?” He moves to take it off, but she puts a hand on his arm to stop him.

“No, you keep it, it looks better on you. And here,” Gou takes off her own hairclip, a blue dragonfly, and places it in his hand, closing his fingers around it. “You can have this one too.”

Rin almost begins to cry. He wraps his sister in a hug, still holding the clip.

“I love you, Gou.” She pats his back.

“I love you, too, Rin.”

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT 12/5/20: this fic is now mirrored on [my new fanfic website!](pebe1997.wixsite.com/gingerslapnotion/hairclips)


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